Weymouth School Committee plans to cut $600,000

Friday

May 30, 2014 at 2:32 AMJun 2, 2014 at 10:25 AM

By Jake SaltzmanThe Patriot Ledger

WEYMOUTH – The school committee made plans Thursday to cut a total of $600,000 from five school services, including utilities and what School Superintendent Kenneth Salim is calling “extraordinary maintenance” services.

The cuts would take effect at the start of the 2014-15 school year.

During a meeting that lasted almost three hours, the six school committee members in attendance discussed how best to cut the target amount: $865,000. To the 12 possible areas for cutting that Salim and the committee discussed last week, the superintendent added three options this week.

Besides utility and maintenance cuts, which are projected to save the town about $160,000 during the next fiscal year, cutting of $100,000 for the town’s extended-day program was proposed along with a reduced allocation for pensions. The committee also decided to put off spending for school supplies in order to cut an estimated $60,000.

The town needs to cut the $865,000 for next year to keep within Mayor Sue Kay’s $61 million budget for the town’s public schools. Kay, who is a member of the committee and was present Thursday, did not make specific recommendations on budget cuts.

The school committee did not want to change funding for athletics, including a proposed increasing of fees for some sports. Although it spent more time talking about athletics funding than any other issue, it was largely because of the comments made by resident Gus Perez.

“We need to stop making athletics the sacrificial lamb of cuts,” Perez told the committee, pointing out that 900 students play at least one sport at Weymouth High School. “If there is going to be pain (from cuts), I suggest there needs to be equitable pain across the board.”

Committee member Gail Sheehan said she considers it unfair the superintendent’s propositions would put additional financial burden on parents.

“Parents having to spend more money is not right,” she said.

Salim acknowledged that the proposals are tough to accept, but he said cutting the school administration would be difficult.

“Due to state mandates and the town’s educational funds, I don’t believe administrative cuts can happen,” he said.